Fading is a subjective view of American suburban life, challenging the perceived ideal of life. After the promise of American prosperity is revealed to be a mirage or an impossibility, the profound struggle for connection in human relationships gives rise to a pervasive sense of loneliness in the United States. The project delves into the emotional landscape of broken dreams, inviting viewers to an introspective exploration.
As a cinematographer, my journey has been profoundly shaped by cinema, where atmosphere plays a vital role in storytelling. In Fading, mood and visual language are central to the narrative, revealing the different layers—material, emotional, existential—that overlap in every scene. While the project shares some similarities with New Topographics photography in its portrayal of everyday suburban scenes, its true inspiration lies in the emotional depth and subjectivity of Eugene Atget’s work and the melancholic perspective of Humberto Rivas’ architectural photography.
This project also connects to the evolving vision of the flâneur, as articulated in Baudelaire’s “The Painter of Modern Life” and expanded by Walter Benjamin’s reflections on capitalism. However, in this case, my focus shifts to the outskirts of suburbia—a space where wandering becomes an exploration of disconnection, longing, and the quiet poetry of fading dreams. In this case, the flâneur drives through the streets in a car, wanting to see, not wanting to be discovered. The picture becomes something secretive and something caught, almost stolen from reality. This also questions the status of the photographer as a hunter, someone moving like a ghost.
It is shot from the car using medium-format, 6x9-color negative film. Due to the immediacy I need, I shoot handheld on a rangefinder camera, almost in the pure style of street photography. This contradicts the basic rules of architectural and landscape photography while taking into consideration some of its principles. I scan in high resolution and print digitally with the Romantic landscape in mind.
Fading aims to open the door to fiction within reality. It is an external gaze that seeks to reveal the invisible, capturing San Francisco's South Bay until I lose myself in it, driven by the obsession to find an image that captures the moment when things fade, becoming a broken dream. The concept of absence, almost dystopian, serves as a mirror, inviting viewers to explore the hidden layers of suburban life.
Mischa Lluch
I was born in Madrid and grew up on film and television sets, which fueled my passion for visual storytelling. My professional journey began by assisting photographers, which laid the foundations for my career behind the camera. Over the years, I honed my skills in various roles within the camera department for film and advertising, eventually establishing myself as a director of photography.
As a cinematographer, I have had the privilege of shooting several feature films and hundreds of commercials, traveling to over forty countries. My work has been recognized at prestigious events such as the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the San Sebastián International Film Festival, and the Goya Awards, Spain’s highest honor in cinema.
Photography remains my passion and a medium for profound creative exploration, enabling me to use my voice in the art of the still image. Fading will be the first project to come to life from a series I began in 2008, inspired by the theme of broken dreams. It suggests a world crumbling under the relentless pressure to keep up, capturing the melancholic beauty of impermanence and the delicate fragility of persistence.
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